As the premier futsal club in the north of England, Manchester FC takes its responsibility for developing the game very seriously, and enticing youngsters into the sport is a key element of that task.

As well as the club’s thriving academy, we also run youth training camps during school half-terms, the most recent of which taking place on October 26, 28 and 30.

The camps aim to provide players aged between 7 and 14 with an introduction to the sport, finding a balance between learning and having fun, with expert coaching provided by the club’s staff and first-team players at the National Cycling Centre.

We caught up with Ilya Ovechkin, MFC’s Head of Youth Development, to find out how the most recent training camps went.

“Manchester Futsal Club Training Camps are designed for players of all abilities to fall in love with playing futsal during the school holidays,” Ilya told the club’s website.

“The National Cycling centre which is the perfect environment for the players to learn futsal.

“We have been running the futsal camp programme for the last 2 years and it has been growing ever since we started. The atmosphere that we have created at the camps gives the players a chance to express themselves and enjoy it while they are interacting and learning new skills.

“The October camp was another enjoyable week. The standard of players is very good. We have a good mix of players, some from our youth academy, some that are new to futsal and those that are looking to develop their foot work and skills further.

“It’s great to see players coming to our camps from different levels as it creates a good learning environment for players to interact and enjoy themselves.

“This year we have slightly changed the format and have added more to the programme with more games that focus on different aspects of the sport. The camps programme is definitely evolving and we are certainly looking forward to progressing and developing the format further.

“We have good coaching staff on board for the whole Youth Programme with plenty of futsal experience, who are keen to pass their knowledge to the next generation of players.”